We knew, deep down inside, we knew something wasn't right. But we chalked it up to speech. He had constant ear infections, had tubes put it, developed a blood clot and had his tubes redone. But then his hearing test came back fine. So we had to rule out just hearing and speech.
His first eval was done at about 16 months. A day I will never forget. The way they broke it to us, the tears welling up in my eyes. The tears started pouring as I looked down at my happy little baby playing with toys. He didn't know. There was something wrong inside him and it would affect his whole life. He was so innocent. It wasn't fair. I am starting to cry right now just remembering it.
As usual, Gerald was there to support me. Guaranteed me we would get him the help he needed.
9 comments:
Happy Holidays;
Thanks for the follow. You have a GREAT Blog and a beautiful family :)
Sandie
bless you and your beautiful sons. no one ever forgets the day they hear the words "your child has..." no matter what the disability is it changes everyone forever! just keep smiling! i haven't stopped over in a while and i wanted to say "hi!" and wish you and yours a happy and healthy holiday seson!
Shelley
http://iamstillstandingafterallthistime.blogspot.com
http://theplaygroundprincess.blogspot.com
http://theuntraditionaltopiaryblog.blogspot.com/
http://thedcladies.blogspot.com/
"It didn't change my baby. He was still the same kid, just now had a label." Ouch. I remember that day.
We knew something was up too, although at first we thought it related to being preemies and that they'd catch up. But eventually we came to realize there was more going on than just developmental delays, the meltdowns got worse and not better as they got older, and so on. For me the dx with our older boys was more of a relief, not something I would have wanted but finally some understanding of why they did what they did and some idea of where to start to help them. With my youngest it was really tough to hear those words... but at least by then we had the benefit of having seen firsthand how much early intervention can help so we put our energy into that. It's been a slower progression with him (he's more in the moderate range of the spectrum while his brothers are on the milder end) but all three of them are doing well.
You're so right when you say, "it didn't change my baby." I'm glad to hear Jaylen is doing well!
What boards do you post to?
When Cate was finally diagnosed we knew she had Autism. We weren't upset, I think at first when someone mentioned it we denied it but we always knew something was wrong and when we got the label it made things easier because we could learn about it and have an understanding of Autism.
Jo
Hey Jo, I put the boards I am most active on in my Autism Resources page. Right above the ribbon!
A beautiful post, Jean, and obviously a memory forever etched in your mind. If there's any comfort to be taken from such moments, perhaps it's the blessing that your son has autism in a day and age where it is acknowledged, where effective treatment is available, where he has every chance of leading a happy, meaningful life.
Thanks so much for sharing this on Blog Gems, Jean. I had exactly the same thoughts when my son was diagnosed with aspergers about him being the same and I remember trying to explain this to his devastated Dad x
The very first thing I said to EVERYone who reacted with sadness to Alexander's diagnosis. "He's still the same Alexander as he was yesterday. Yes, there's a label.But it's only as good as the help it gives us access to. He hasn't changed a bit".
Great post.
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